Purple Heart medal bestowed on Sergeant Cornelius H. Charlton

Source catalog description

This description refers to material held by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visual details below describe the original material.

The Purple Heart award is a heart-shaped medal within a gold border, 1 inch (35 mm) wide, containing a profile of General George Washington. Above the heart appears a shield of the coat of arms of George Washington (a white shield with two red bars and three red stars in chief) between sprays of green leaves. The reverse consists of a raised bronze heart with the words FOR MILITARY MERIT below the coat of arms and leaves. The ribbon is 1 inch (35 mm) wide and consists of the following stripes: (3 mm) white 67101; (29 mm) purple 67115; and (3 mm) white 67101.

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